Software Review – WhatsApp desktop application for Windows and Mac

The popular mobile messaging platform, WhatsApp owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook has introduced a desktop version of the application.

They started first by introducing WhatsApp Web, which would enable you to use WhatsApp in a web browser. Though it is still required that your phone should be on while you are using it, but it at least gives you the opportunity of taking your hands off your phone and still use WhatsApp as you are working on your computer.

However, they have tried to take things to another level by introducing this desktop application, which does not require you to open a web browser to use it, but simply run a desktop application just like you would run any other software installed on your computer system.

So, if you own a Mac or a Windows computer, you can go to the WhatsApp download page and click the download link. It would automatically detect the operating system (OS) that you are using and show the appropriate link to the software download for your OS.

WhatsApp Desktop Download

[box type=”warning”] Caution! Read what I think about it in the next section before you click that download link.[/box]

What are my thoughts about this?

What I have noticed about the software is that it is pretty much the same as using WhatsApp Web, which I personally prefer for the following reasons:

The desktop app works pretty much the same way as the web version that works in web browsers.

WhatsApp web does not require me to download any extra app. All I need is my web browser that has been installed already anyway.

I don’t need to burn 60MB+ of my data or 60MB+ of my hard disk space to install an app that the same version is available online.

There’s no extra advantage to using the desktop version as my phone must still be on for me to use it.

The desktop application is simply a simple application with a web browser embedded in it. At the end of the day, I’m still using WhatsApp web.

You can not use WhatsApp web and the desktop app at the same time. If you are already logged into one (WhatsApp web or the desktop software) and you try to log in in the other one, it would tell you that you are already using WhatsApp Web on another computer or browser and you have the option of either logging out here or using WhatsApp web, which would disable it from being used in the other location (computer or browser) where you are logged in.

WhatsApp logged in in another location

Like I said earlier, the desktop application works the same way as WhatsApp web. So to use it, you must still scan a QR code on your phone; exactly the same way that you would have to do for WhatsApp web.

WhatsApp desktop scan QR code

Final Verdict

In my own opinion, it is not worth downloading and is simply a waste of space. If you need an alternative to using WhatsApp on your phone, simply make use of WhatsApp web as it comes with no extra baggage.